Fight For What You Love
by JL Wrighton
Summary: Years down the road, James Potter Junior meets a new girl, Chris Fornus, with a mysterious past. She is here for a mission, not to fall in love, but the unexpected can hurt. T for a fairly gory scene.
1. Prolugue

_There has always been magic in the world, as long as people have existed. And there are leaders. They are men and women alike who take the step to become a leader amongst their friends and fellow man. And as long as there have been leaders, there must be Defenders. _

_The Defenders are three families, Fornus, Harmen, and Melota. They are a secret section of the Ministry of Magic, beyond the control of the Minister of Magic. They protect him or her and their families, with or without their knowledge or consent; for all their lives if need be. Some Ministers, such as the infamous Minister Fudge, was determined unsafe to know, and he lived his life blissfully unaware of the amount of people trying to kill him. Minister Shacklebolt grew up alongside several Defenders and knows full well of the magnitude of their job._

_They are trained from birth for the job, they live, breathe, and die for their fellow "brothers" as the men and women who join their ranks are called. _

_They are naturally fighters, who defy all odds to save lives every day. They don't just protect the Minister, they protect the magical world, by anonymously providing the Aurors with ways to get Dark wizards, and shutting down the black markets that can cause great harm in the magical world . _

_When Voldemort came into power, they fought him in secret, and when he came back again, they fought him again. It wasn't until after his defeat, several years later, that rouge Death Eaters found them out. Adults who survived both wars were killed, their children forced to watch as the life was ripped from their parents. Only 5 of the original 70 or more survived. And they're all under 18. It is my immense pleasure to introduce Peter, Marvin, Christina, Jeffery, and Tim. Peter Harmen, his cousin, Marvin Harmen, Christina Fornus, Jeffery Melota, and his adopted brother Timothy Melota. _

_They have known each other all their lives, and it is easier to share the load of sadness amongst each other then alone. But their first mission completely alone, without the supervision of adults, is looming in the near future. You have to read along to see what happens._


	2. Attack on the Minister

Five teens walked into the Ministry of Magic. Varying in size and height, dressed in plain Muggle clothes, there was nothing very interesting about them. They looked like anyone else, blending with the crowd that bustled around them. Until you saw their eyes. Whether they were brown, blue, or green, they looked like they'd fight. The blond one at the far end was a jumpiest. He was Tim. He was very suspicious of people. The leader, Peter, walked a step ahead of the others, leading their way through the crowd. Jeff and Marvin walked a hands breadth apart, flanking Peter. The only girl brought up the rear, dark eyes flickering to faces and people. They all looked stiff, distant, like they were seeing the world from someplace far away. There, amidst all of it, yet oddly detached.

They walked through the front area of the Minister's office, not bothering to talk to the secretary. She ignored them, as she always had. She didn't know them, but the relaxed posture had never fooled her. She knew when she didn't want to know names.

Peter opened the door, and everyone followed behind him. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, stood up as they came into the room, sighing as they shut the door.

Five teens, four boys, one girl. He had known them, or at the very least, knew of them since their birth. But try as he might, they would never knock on the door. He reached out and shook their hands. "Peter, Jeffery, Marvin, Tim, Christina. To what do I owe the visit?" Peter handed him a thick folder.

"Sir, good morning." He said in a serious voice. "We believe that is has come time to inform you of several assassination attempts. Approximately two months ago, you began getting notes, via Hogwarts School Owls or Hogsmeade's Mail service. All were cut from the Quibbler, forming threats on your life and your family. Several weeks ago we intercepted a large container of butterbeer going to your house. It contained an extremely high dosage of Draught of Living Death. Anyone who drank it would have passed out in moments and perhaps died within the hour. Dark objects have also been sent to your house, but we've had someone with protection checking all mail and they've all been destroyed. In order to better protect your family we've placed your family in a safe house, under a Fidelius Charm. Marvin is Secret Keeper. We've cleared out your schedule of any meetings, and you will be joining them by a temporary Floo channel that will only work from your fireplace here to the house they are living in. It will only be available for a few minutes, so that you will not be traced."

Shacklebolt began to speak. "What's going to happen-?", but was interrupted when 4 men in masks barged in the door. One of them shouted, "Get him!" In one motion Chris, Tim, and Jeff spun around bellowing, "Protego!" The Shield Charm threw the four men out the door. Marvin slammed it shut, and Chris made a square motion with her wand_. _The door made a squelching sound and a thick jelly-like substance oozed from around the door.

"Minister you have to leave with Marvin. Immediately." Jeffery said, in maddening calmness. Shacklebolt stood, grabbing his cloak, and a briefcase. As he watched, Peter and Chris began rolling up their sleeves, and pocketing their wands. Tim gave Shacklebolt a big handful of Floo powder. "Just throw it when Marvin says to. He can control the Floo without speaking so that they can't follow." With a loud bang, the door flew open again, and the men charged in. Peter grabbed the first man in a headlock, kicking the second one. "Go NOW!" he shouted. Marvin tumbled into the Floo, and Jeff stood between the fireplace and them. "Throw it." Marvin told him. The green fire roared and they disappeared. Chris had one man pinned to the floor, holding him in a nelson. Jeff paralyzed the fourth one, hurrying to Peter's assistance. Suddenly all four men vanished. Chris jumped to her feet, a cut trailing across her cheek down her throat. "They must've Apparated." They headed outside, and saw that the men had Stunned the secretary, because she was unconscious. "So what do we do now?" Jeff asked.

Chris smiled. "Surveillance. I sent an owl to the inn over the Three Broomsticks. You have a room there under the name Lewis. Peter is traveling to Knockturn Alley to see about the marketing of illegal Dark objects." Jeff frowned. "But what are you doing? Smashing heads in Azkaban till someone gives you a clue about who is behind this?" She shrugged into a jacket. "All of our clues have pointed to someone within Hogwarts. School barn owls, owls from Hogsmeade, and the Quibbler delivers over two hundred of its papers every week to Hogwarts. I will be posing as a student there, examining all of those students, tracking the owls, and keeping an eye out for anyone who speaks strongly of Dark Magic. Basically, recon."


	3. Road to Hogwarts

It was August 31 and everyone but Marvin gathered in a hotel room. As far as hotel's go, this one was pretty bad. But no enemies would think to look for them there. Chris was dressed as a school student. Aside from a pair of owlish glasses, she wore a calf-length gray wool skirt, matching vest, with a neatly tucked in white shirt and tie. Her hair had been braided, but the hair and high collar didn't completely cover the still red scar.

"So you have the trunk of everything you need?" asked Tim.

"Yup."

"Okay, here's everything else we thought you'd need. There's enough Muggle money in here for breakfast in the morning and paying the bill for this place." Jeff handed her a wallet. "After that you have some real money to use for food on the train." Tim gave her a small bag of money.  
"And here's your Commu-Mirror." Peter handed her a large square of clear glass. "I redid all the spells on it, so that it keeps through all of the spells around Hogwarts. So you have a target?"

"Yeah." Chris rummaged through her bag, pulling out a file.

"James Sirius Potter. Very popular, and knows almost everybody. He should know anybody I need to get to." Tim leaned over her shoulder, looking at the picture. "Not to mention he's _devilishly handsome_." Chris punched his arm. "Not only that, but he has a wide circle of friends, both and girls and boys across Houses. The more students I can meet right off the bat, the easier it will be. So you guys double-checked and no one should be able to find the second lock?" Peter kicked the trunk next to the bed. "Try it."  
She leaned down and flipped the locks on it, throwing open the lid. Basic robes and clothes were folded neatly, along with a Potions set and all of her schoolbooks. A slim folder held her previous school records, forged Hogsmeade slip and a folded Invisibility Cloak. Hogwarts was known for its impressive security, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.  
A second lock sat in the lid and when that unlocked a small compartment fell out of the lid. It contained make-up (that she barely, if ever used), a mirror, and her photo book. It had the only pictures she owned anymore, full of pictures of lost Defenders.

The larger compartment gave way to a deep compartment. It was magically enlarged to hold her Defender equipment. It was about six feet deep, and held her broomstick, all classified information and anything they thought she would want to keep hidden. "Remember that it only works if the trunks open. If you go in there to get something and somebody shuts it on you, you're stuck until someone finds you." Tim warned. The boys all held their brooms, and the light packs they took on the road. She gave each of them a hug, holding on tight and wishing them good luck. "Keep in contact with me. I want to know what's going on."

Peter was the last one left, after the others had gone. "Chris? I want you to do something else for me while you're in Hogwarts." She looked puzzled. "Anything man. What is it?" He held her hand gently, tracing the scars that spread over her knuckles like a web.

"Chris, stay safe, but don't get stuck on the work. We've all had some opportunity to see the world, to be a part of what others have. You've…never been. Ever since we was eleven, you've only left base for missions. I worry that you'll never find someone." He stared into her eyes.

"I know I'm blabbering, but I need you to understand. Do you?"

She smiled, leaning into his hug. "Peter, I know. But I've got a job to do. The job comes first. It's gonna be lonely, without ya'll around. I need to stay busy."

Peter looked out the window. "I don't have to leave till tomorrow morning, if you don't want me to." She sighed, a deep and sad sigh, and for a moment, Peter saw a girl that was so abnormal it was almost strange. She had seen too much, fought so hard, for a girl. She deserved to be loved and treated like a princess. The only things other girls worried about was how they looked and if guys liked them. Every day of her life, Chris took other's lives into her hands and fought for them. Peter kissed her forehead once. "I'll always love you." he apparated away and Chris curled onto the bed. "

Chris watched as Muggles passed back and forth, and looked to the barrier between 9 and 10. Hefting her trunk once in her hand, and holding on tightly, she walked though it, pausing for a moment on the other side reorient herself. Smoke billowed and poured everywhere as parents hugged their students goodbye. Cats wound around legs, and owls hooted alarmingly. Somewhere here, perhaps already on board, was someone who wanted to kill Kingsley Shacklebolt. And that wasn't going to happen. She got on board and headed as far back in the train as she could.

Finding an empty compartment, she started lifting her trunk into the overhead baggage rack. It slipped as she was lifting it, hitting her shoulder and making her crash into the seat. Speaking a few choice words, she kicked her trunk. A boy's voice came from the doorway. "Let me guess, Can't lift the trunk because your Mum over packed with things you'll never use?" She turned. A tall, well-built teen stood there. James Potter, the exact person she was looking for. Smiling sweetly, she said, "Not really. It just slipped and I don't like things hitting me. Can I have some help?" Together they lifted it onto the rack. "Thanks. It would have taken me awhile to get that on my own. What's your name?"

He grinned in a cocky way. "I'm James Potter. I've never seen you before. What House are you?" She moved a little closer. "I'm Chris. I'm a transfer student from France." James looked around the compartment. "Are you the only one in here so far?" she nodded. "My friends and I were looking for a compartment. Unless you mind sharing with three loud boys..."

She laughed, not at him, but at the idea of minding hanging out with guys. "Sure I don't mind."

A small redheaded girl poked her head in. "James! Mum and Dad want to say goodbye! Come on!" He left quickly, promising to send the guys down when he found them. She watched him go, the pulled out her glass, sealing the door with a wave. "Peter." she said. An etching appeared in the glass of Peter's face. "Identify yourself." Her face took on a serious look.

"I will die protecting the Minister before I will let him be harmed. I answer to no one but my leader. May I forever protect my brothers-in-arms."

His face relaxed, and she smiled, tracing the lines of his cheek. "It's going better than I thought. We're sharing a train compartment with his friends. How's yours?" He frowned. "It's not good. From what they can tell me, the only man in the world who makes this poison is currently on the savannahs of Africa, hunting down an invisible wildebeest. I'm checking a few more things before I leave." He vanished, and she tucked the mirror into her pocket.

Chris had arrived extremely early, so there wasn't much to do. Pulling out a book, she flipped through it till she found her page and started reading, _Tracking Owls and Their Owners_.

Almost an hour later, the train left, and she watched as it left for the countryside. Cracking open a window slightly she could smell the grass and fresh air. It made her remember her childhood.

Her entire life had been spent training, fighting and defending. Before she was five, she could whip up most antidotes, and knew 10 kinds of hand-to-hand combat. Spell-work had only come in after she was ten, but ever since then she was soaking up spell-work like a sponge. No Defender needed their wands after 12. Wands were too easy to track, but unless you knew the person very well, you might never suspect it was them doing the magic.

Their endurance runs could take them over the countryside, running through rivers, over miles of hilly farmland, and sometimes swimming through several miles of ocean before coming back to land. This she had enjoyed the most, because it meant being outside, feeling nature burst open around and feel like you were unstoppable.

She had almost dozed off when suddenly three boys tumbled into the door. It slid open and James and two other boys fell in, laughing to the seats. The dark-haired boy noticed her first. "Hullo! Who are you?" She smiled. "I'm Chris." James sat up. "Sorry. The one with black hair is Teddy Lupin, and the blondish one is Mitchell Finnigan." Mitchell chuckled. "And this is James Potter, who believes he is gorgeous and the most sought after man at school. And half the girls think he's right." She laughed. "And he does, does he?" Teddy snorted. "He's dated every girl from the 4th years to the seventh years. It's scary really."  
The conversation didn't float. It ricocheted off of everything they could think of. Everything from last year's pranks, to what classes she might be taking. When asked about Quidditch, the boys launched into a frenzy of talking, about good Quidditch teams, who was up for team Captain this year, and so much excitement that she laughed. Teddy and James were on the Gryffindor team, Mitchell was content to cheer from the sidelines. All of them seemed to making a conscious effort to include her in everything. The trolley came by and everyone bought something. James bought Chocolate Frogs, Teddy went for Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Mitchell got Pumpkin Pasties, and Chris picked up some Fizzing Whizbees. Everything was dumped onto one of the benches and shared, in relative silence for a few minutes. Teddy collected Chocolate Frog Cards and took out a notebook to put his in. The boys gave him theirs, while Chris looked at the 5 cards she held. One of them was different than the others, outlined in gold. It's picture was a crude, but recognizable copy of Peter. "What is this?"

Teddy looked up. "Oh wow. I heard rumors one made it into the Hogsmeade load, but I had no idea!"

He took it from her, flipping the card over. "_This card is made in honor of a young man, whose identity is yet unknown, who brought many Death Eater's singlehandedly to the Ministry of Magic for arrest. While his identity remains unknown, he is called the Capturer, and only ten of these cards were made, making them valuable collectibles."_

Teddy looked slightly starstruck. "You are so lucky."He tried to hand it back, but she pushed it away. "Keep it. I wouldn't know what to do with it." She stood suddenly, yanking the door open. Three boys fell in from where they'd been listening. "What do you want?" She snapped. The blond one in the middle sneered. "Wanted to know who the girl in the compartment was. So you're the new Potter girl? I'd be careful he's got a slimy mouth-." His words were cut short when her hand shot out, yanking his head down into her knee. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose and she shoved him back. His cronies moved forward, knuckles cracking, but she slammed into one's instep and kicked the other in the stomach. They fell back into a heap on top of the blond one. "You disgust me." She slammed the door shut. "What was that about?" She returned to her seat tensely. "I don't even know him." The boys looked at each other. "Malfoy's just an idiot. Don't worry. We'll get him at school." She leaned back, watching the door, as her memory slid away to more painful memories…


	4. Memories

_She howled with rage again, slamming her bloody fists into the stone. Her parents were dead, of that she was sure. And the other Defender's hadn't done a thing. They'd locked her into the room, with only the tiniest of slits for air. No spells worked in here, and no one had come for hours. _

_Punching the wall hadn't worked, and death spells only left scorch marks on her hands. She was about to slam the iron door again when it slid open. Peter, his face somber, caught her hands. He came in the door shutting behind him. "We got them that done it." _

_He looked down at her hands, the skin torn and bleeding. Blood trailed down her wrists, and smeared across his hands. "You're hurt."_

_Chris looked down. "Why was I locked in here?" He hugged her, chin on top of her head. "Sometimes, Defenders can lose control, where revenge is involved. Dad didn't know what you may or may not do, so you were brought here. Are you alright?"_

_She started to nod, but tears leaked out of her eyes. "Rats, I didn't wanna cry." She swiped her eyes. "They're gone." It wasn't a question. He nodded. She leaned back into his grip. "Please, just hug me." He was silent for a minute, then spoke. "Dad sent me. Said you'd need a friend." She scrubbed her eyes again. "Yeah. I need it." She hung on for a few more minutes, until her tears dried. "What's gonna happen to me?" Peter held her tighter. "The Defender's will always take care of you. Your parent's will gives almost everything to you. They wanted their books collection to go to the library. Felt you'd like that." She nodded into his shoulder. "Everything else is yours." He turned to guide her out, and she readjusted, till their arms hung over each other's shoulders._

_The manor was mostly empty and those they passed just brushed against her shoulders. Lately they'd all been hurting, but all had the same mindset. Sadness was for a time, but their job came first. Words didn't come easy of recent, and everyone understood what they couldn't say. So many Defenders had died so quickly that the shock was only just beginning to set in for many._

_Peter left her at the doors to her parent's room. She walked in, breathing in the scent of leather and perfume that were the combined scent of her father and mother. Her mother's red dress was laid out on the bed. She sat down next to it, running a clean fingertip over the silk. _

_Her mother had been a beauty. She took pride in how she maintained her good looks without magic, and was proud that her family should protect the Minister. Some said Chris had inherited her looks, but Chris always knew her mother was so much more beautiful. Tracy had gotten most of the great looks in the family. She had died a few months ago, along with Johnny and Felix. Tonight was their anniversary. They were supposed to go out to eat someplace in Paris._

_She pulled her father's journal from under his pillow. He had written in it every night, without fail, no matter where he was. He had been so kind. All of his children felt his love. He had loved mother so much. They had loved each other. She sat in silence, feeling the loneliness that strectched toward forever. She was the last, the last of the Fornus'. _

She came out her memories with a snap, realizing that everyone else was staring at her. "Did you hear us?" Teddy asked. She shook her head. "Are you gonna try out for Quidditch?" She shook her head. "No, definitely not. I wouldn't have time." She looked down and noticed she was rubbing her hands. The palms and sides of her hand still bore white scars from where she had hit the walls. She looked out the window, and saw lights in the distance. "We're almost there." She got up, grabbing the robes she wore over her uniform. "I'll go change." She pulled the robes over her clothes and waited while the boys changed.


	5. Swimming

Chris walked off the train, feeling a bit disoriented. Darkness had fallen, and the many bouncing lights made it hard to adjust to the dark. After following the first-years for a while, they came to the boats. Being surrounded by a thousand new sights and smells, she looked around her, trying to see everything all at once. She hit what felt like a fuzzy wall. Backing up a few steps she realized that she was looking at a giant or a half giant. He turned around after hearing her "Ooof!" against his back. "What're you doin'? The older students go thata way." She shook her head. "I need to be sorted. I'm a transfer student."  
By the time that she had reached the boats, they were all full, except for where Hagrid sat. He turned back to her. "I'll cum bac' fer yu." She looked at the water, inky black in the darkness. "How far is it to Hogwarts, by water?"  
"Round' 'bout a haf mile" She started stripping off her shoes, stuffing the socks inside them. "I'm going to swim it." He immediately started protesting. "Yuh can't swim naked!" She laughed a moment. "I was cold this morning, so I put on my skintights. They'll do fine." After folding her clothes and handing them to a first-year, she jumped in the water. Bobbing up a moment later, she gestured forward. "Shall we?"  
As she swam along, Chris thought of everything that had happened so far. In truth, she hadn't put her skintights on this morning because she was cold. They were actually her mission clothes. They carried a heavy Shield Charm, warding off most charm and curses. When something happened, she could slip away for a half second, even turning invisible for a moment, ripping off her robes for a battle. At time when turning invisble wasn't possible or convenient, they could easily be vanished, and once, in a bad time, she lit them on fire, throwing them at the would-be assassin. Besides their countercharms, they were very smart attire. In a panic situation, most people would never recognize her, only saying that a wild woman had blown through the room, hexing and tying up the bad guys. People were so unobservant sometimes. She came up for air in the tunnel, balancing by a hanging vine. She looked at Hogwarts as the boats came closer, a thousand windows gleaming in the darkness. "It's beautiful." she said to Hagrid. He smiled as she dove under the water, swimming for the docks. She pulled herself out of the water, teeth chattering slightly.  
With a quick spell, she was dry and warm again. Pulling her clothes back on, she followed the rest inside. As always, Professor McGonagall led them in to the Great Hall. Whispers flew around the room about the girl who stood a head and a half taller than the first-years. She stood near the back of the room, quietly buttoning up her shirt as she walked. The Sorting began and she waited in the back as the rest of them were Sorted, amid applause and cheering. "Potter, Lily" became a Gryffindor, and Chris noted, several boys who seemed to bear a resemblance to her. They must be relatives. She knew that Mr. James Potter had several relatives who all looked very much alike, who had children going Hogwarts. She should have made a chart to keep them straight. After all the first years had gone, the professor looked up from her paper. "We have a new student here at Hogwarts. She is a sixth-year student. Fornus, Christina." She walked quietly forward, sitting on the stool, and putting the hat on her head. It fell over her eyes, and instantly saw her plan. "So you want to protect the Minister eh? Well then, I should put you in Slytherin, because that's very deceitful of you, tricking people into helping you." _Not_ _Slytherin, I'm not even a pure-blood!_ She thought desperately. "Well then, I suppose you should be in GRYFINNDOR!" Chris staggered to her feet, pulling off the Hat and heading to the Gryffindor table.  
She sat down next to the girl who had been sorted as Potter, Lily and Mitchell from the train. Dinner appeared and everyone else began to gorge themselves on the food. Chris ate slowly, instead taking the time to look over the crowd of people. James and Teddy tried to hex Scorpius, instead turning his food purple. Mitchell told her all about the stuff they'd be studying, things like complicated potions and non-speaking spells. Lily talked almost nonstop about everything she wanted to do at Hogwarts, begging her brothers to sneak her to Hogsmeade. People gossiped, telling friends about who was with who now, and what they'd done over the summer.

Chris ate little, concentrating on memorizing faces and people. If she was going to blend in quickly, she'd need to know everything possible quickly. The meal lasted until almost midnight, upon which everyone left for their Houses. Mitchell had the password, and they took a shortcut to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

She told the boys goodnight and carried Lily up the stairs to the girl's room, seeing as the poor girl had fallen asleep halfway there. Chris woke her up enough to hand Lily her pajamas, and left for her own dorm. She was finishing unpacking when the other girls came in.

"Who are you?" they asked. She jumped off her bed, holding out her hand to shake theirs.

"I'm Chris. I'm the transfer student." The girls were welcoming, and offered to help her out in classes if she needed it. One of them introducing herself as Jenny, made a comment about James.

"He'll be after your heart before you know it." She frowned, arranging her clothes in the dresser. "What do you mean?" Some of the girls chuckled as Jenny pulled out a board. It was covered in pictures, with comments taped around them. They ranged from "gross!" to "darn sexy"

"This is all the guys we've ever dated at Hogwarts. All of us have dated James." Chris lined up her books neatly on the shelf next to her bed.

"So he's a player?"

Emily pitched into the conversation.

"No, he's perfect gentleman. Never takes you to the abandoned classrooms, doesn't try to kiss on the first date, but he's kind of cocky. He knows we all think he's great looking, and he almost likes it. Except for Vandy."  
"Who's she?" Michelle shushed Emily from across the room.

"You shouldn't talk about it. That's private."

Emily started to protest, but another girl interrupted her. "We'll tell her if she gets involved. Vandy won't be back for another month, and we don't have to worry about her until then. But until then, know this," The girl turned to Chris. "None of us ever made it past date one with James. Stuff happens."

The conversation drifted away to other topics, as Chris waited. After the others were in bed, she pulled out her Invisibility Cloak, covering herself with it. She closed the door behind her, and headed down to the common room. A fairly basic map of Hogwarts was pinned to the bulletin board, showing the way to the Owlery. She headed outside, running silently along the hallways. She reached the Owlery with almost no trouble, only getting lost once. She pulled a bag of tiny tracers, attaching one to each school barn owl ear. It wasn't much to help on that angle, but she hoped they would lead her somewhere. The next trick was getting down to Hogsmeade and finding their register, to see who sent out letters by owl. She would start her investigation of Quibblers at Gryffindor; they would be easiest to watch. As she was heading back, she had to go through a corridor so narrow her elbows were bumping both walls. She stopped when she heard voices coming her way. Grabbing onto a candelabra on the wall, she hoisted herself up, her cloak slipping from her body. It hung down off her waist as two boys headed down the hall. Teddy and James were sneaking back from Hogsmeade, carrying a couple bottles of butterbeer. Thankfully they didn't notice her, as they plotted ways to glue a bottle to Scorpius' head. She fell back to the floor lightly as they left, pulling the cloak back up. She made it back to her room safely, and fell into a deep sleep.


	6. Firewhiskey

The next morning around 2, she came awake as suddenly as if someone had shouted in her ear. She sat up slowly, a knife in one hand and wand in the other. Then she heard the sound again, a faint whispering from the mirror. Wrapping a bathrobe around her tightly, she hid it until she had reached the common room. "Identify yourself." She said clearly. Peter recited the oath and she smiled. "How's Africa?"  
"It's hot. The marketer was last seen at a wizard's home in Arada." Apparently there's an expedition of wizards doing this mad-cap invisible wildebeest hunting."  
"Why can't you just Apparate to wherever they are?"  
"I don't want to risk overshooting and becoming lost in the desert, or worse, get Splinched out here. I can't imagine the place where I'm going if I've never seen them before."  
"True. I have to go, I'll see you later."

Chris fit in fine with the group, but spent most of her time in the library. Well, not actually. She really was tracking people who received Quibblers, and searching wastebaskets every night, looking for Quibblers that had been cut up. It was harder then expected, as the Quibbler carried no register of everyone who received one. She could only watch every morning, and send names to the boys.

After the first 2 months of being at school, she was only a little closer to finding the culprit. She had knocked out 50 people on the list, and information from the other Defenders was helping. They had confirmed that whoever it was had an outside source through Hogsmeade, taking first and second years off the list, and that the confusion charm was only taught to students above third years, leaving only 285 students to follow.

The mysterious Vandy came back to school, and from the start, neither liked the other. Vandy was a shorter, black-haired girl, and many boys thought of her as pretty. Personally, Chris thought Vandy looked kind of fake, like a girl who puts on too much make-up, and noted a strange smell that hung around Vandy's clothes, that smelled like rotten vegetables. The other girls didn't think much of Vandy, and didn't speak to her much. Vandy did not subscribe to the Quibbler, and carried an extremely high opinion of herself.

One Saturday morning, when a fierce storm was blowing outside, she came downstairs, a bit of shredded paper still in her hair. She had been up all night searching Ravenclaw common rooms and so far nothing. A large bulletin was hanging on the wall.

**ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS!**

**STUDENTS FROM **

**BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG **

**WILL BE ARRIVING ON **

**NOVEMBER 25!**

It went on to explain that they would be coming for the tri-yearly Yule Ball, but she wasn't paying attention. She stared at the board and ran back upstairs, and to her trunk. The room was mercifully empty and she threw open the secret door, pulling out her Firebolt 2000. She slammed it shut, shoving the case back under her bed. Several girls walked in just as she kicked the window open, flying straight into the gale. Shrieks sounded as Jenny closed the window. "What was that about?" someone asked. "Don't know." Jenny said.

Her strange behavior was soon forgotten as the girls discussed what they would wear to the Yule Ball. In the midst of this conversation, Vandy came back from her shower, already dressed and drying her hair. "So who are you going to ask?" one of the girls asked her politely. Vandy smiled smugly. "I don't have to ask anyone. I'm going with Potter." The room was silenced by that. "He already asked you? Gosh that boy moves fast." Vandy frowned. "No he didn't ask me already, but it's obvious. We have… a chemistry." She finished her hair and walked out, the other girls glancing at each other. "What about Chris?" Maria asked softly. Jenny nodded. "I think he'll ask her if he asks anyone."

Chris wasn't to be found until dinnertime. The storm was still raging outside, and everyone was eating when she came through the door. Chris was still carrying her broom and was covered head to boots in snow. She sat by herself at the far end of the table, snow leaving puddles around her. She ate almost nothing, but downed a bottle of firewhiskey before leaving again.

When James say her again, she had changed into dry clothes and curled into a massive blanket by the fire. She was sitting so close that the roaring fire was making her hair steam. James sat down next to her. "Where were you today? We wanted your help with breaking into the Slytherin common room." She sighed, looking at him. "I don't feel good."  
Feeling that this was more than just a mood swing, James asked her why. She turned back to the fire, speaking quietly so that no one else could overhear.  
"I used to attend Beauxbatons. They thought I was a freak there. And my year, the hazing started of the younger girls. It got so extreme that one girl almost died. I got in trouble with the girls that were doing the hazing. It didn't end well. They're gonna be here, I know it. And they're gonna tell the whole school how crazy Chris is. They'll have everyone avoiding me in two days."

"Do you wanna go with me to Yule Ball? We could prove you're not crazy.."

"What's Yule Ball"

"Oh it's a dance, loads of fun. So you want to go with me?"  
"I guess so." 

Around midnight that night, Chris sat up, stifling a scream. In her firewhiskey haze, she had accepted a date from _James freakin Sirius Potter_! Worse, she had told him about her past in Beauxbatons! Grabbing her mirror and her cloak she ran out the door, feet flying down the stairs. She ran to the Room of Requirement, not stopping till she reached it. "Peter!" she yelled once she was safe inside the room, her voice echoing in the hall she now stood in. Timothy's face appeared. "Chris? Is something wrong? What's going on?"

She tried to slow her racing heart. "I may have done something really stupid last night, and why are you answering Peter's mirror?" His face darkened with concerned. "Haven't you gotten the letter? Of course you didn't else you wouldn't have called for Peter. He's in Mungo's." She nearly dropped the mirror, catching moments before it smashed to smithereens. "Why is he in Mungo's? He got the check-up in February." Timothy's face was sad.  
"He found the maker of that poison. And the wildebeest found them. The man died, but not before he gave information to Peter. Information that could tell us what's going on. Peter defeated the Wildebeest, but was severely injured. He's in a coma." Chris slid down a wall till she was leaning against the floor. "Is he gonna live?" Timothy shrugged. "We don't know. We almost considered pulling the mission until he's better. Hold on a second, something's happening." The mirror turned and Chris caught a glimpse of Peter's face, pale above his sheets. Jeff was holding an envelope, slitting it open carefully. He glanced up at Chris, face tight with sadness. "This just appeared in his hand. It's signed to Chris." He said. Chris sighed, because her head hurt and the hangover was coming. "Lay it flat against the mirror." This way, she was able to read it silently without too much trouble. There were smears of blood and the handwriting was shaky, but she knew his handwriting and this was his.  
_Chris,  
If you're reading this, I've probably been injured too badly to talk. I'm writing this with as little information as possible, in case it should fall into the wrong hands. The man behind this is definitely in Hogsmeade. Keep following your lead. I promise I will get better, and I will see you again soon. All my love,  
Peter_

Her eyes stung as she read it. Peter had to come back. The letter was folded again neatly, and Jeff stuffed it back into the envelope.  
"Someone's coming! Quick Jeff get the potion!" Timothy held the mirror back up to his face. "Hold very still. Don't even breath." With that, he propped her up against the plant, downing a drink. He doubled over in pain and came back up a balding middle-aged man. A nurse walked in, a big smile on her face. "How is he?"  
"No change." Timothy declared gruffly.

"Well, I just have to give this potion, and then I'll be gone." As the nurse uncorked the bottle, Chris noticed Jeff pointing his wand at the bottle, testing it for any poisons. The nurse seemed nice and she noticed the mirror. "Is this his girlfriend? She looks pretty." Jeff and Tim glanced at each other. "Um, yes. She is. It's going to be really hard for her to come down and see him though."

Like any other woman, she seemed interested. "Why?"

Jeff, posing as a brother, snorted loudly. "Why? Mum hates her. Jimmy here is just crazy about her, dated her for a year before telling Mum. And she's not the cookiecutter girl Mum imagined." The nurse frowned slightly.

"If you want, I can help later to make sure they can meet. My mum didn't like my beau either."

She fed the potion to him and left. "We need you to come and pose as the mother." She chuckled, despite the headache pounding between her ears. "And Jeff can't be it?" He looked indignant. "I refuse to become a girl!" She laughed slightly, "Alright. I'll be there in about 2 weeks." She signed off and sat there for who knows how long, staring into nothing. The room in front of her began to spin and changed beneath her feet. Now it was a cozy little room, with a small fire burning in the grate, and a bed just her size. Setting the alarm clock for four in the morning, she crawled in, falling asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.


	7. Christmas Hols

_She was deep in a forest, dank and gloomy. She couldn't control her limbs, or speak. It was definitely her body, she could see the scars that ran across her hands. Whatever was running her was moving quickly, as if there was a bright line pointing to where she was meant to go. Spiders as tall as her crawled past, but shied away from her. Ahead there was a break in the trees, and it was to there she went. It was a clearing in the forest, like a deep hollow in the ground. At the bottom of the hollow was a piece of stone over what appeared to be a grave. A funny hiss came from her mouth. "I will avenge myself, just as I was foretold." A raspy voice said. Panic was rising in Chris's heart, as she felt something reach out and touch her mind, cold and slimy, like the touch of death itself…_

Chris came out of the bed, screaming so loud an hourglass on the mantel shattered. She realized that she had woken up and turned over to see the alarm clock. It was 2 'o clock, and she should get back to sleep for a little while longer. "It's just a dream." She told herself firmly. "Just a dream." Vowing to never again drink that much firewhiskey in one sitting, she tossed and turned for a long time. 

When she came back up to the dorm after her workout at six, she found herself surrounded by the other girls. The only one missing was Vandy. "We heard that you're going to the Yule Ball with James." She nodded as she pulled off her clothes, changing into new ones. "There's some stuff you should know." Emily sat down next to her. "Remember what we said, about all of us dating James, but no one getting to second date?"

Jenny picked it up. "Well, the reason no one got to second date, is cause anyone who tried got sick, or had horrible luck." Chris ran a brush through her hair. "Meaning?"

Michelle pulled a lock of Chris' hair ot get her attention. "Meaning we were sabotaged. My food had peanuts in it the night before. I'm horribly allergic. I spent most of the next day puking in the hospital wing."

Claire leaned over from her top bunk. "I woke up for a day in Hogsmeade and all of my clothing was gone. All I had left was my nightgown and whatever I fell asleep in."

Vanessa spoke up from the floor. "My curler tried to kill me." She said quietly. Chris dropped her bag, kneeling next to Vanessa. "Where?" she demanded.

Vanessa lifted her hair, to a reddish brown mark that covered the back of her neck. "Tried to curl my hair and the whole thing bent around my neck." Chris stood up hands shaking slightly with anger. "And? Didn't anyone report it to a teacher?" They shook their heads. "Food poisoning? Could have been an innocent mistake. And a curling iron freaking out? Magic." Chris rounded on Claire. "Clothing vanishing?"

"By the time I borrowed someone else clothes, found a teacher and brought them back, everything was back." Vanessa dropped her hair and picked up her bag. "The thing is, we're almost dead sure it's Vandy. She's kind of obsessed with James. The idea that anyone else would date him is insulting to her." Chris stopped from straightening her bed and reached over and hugged Emily and Vanessa simultaneously. "Nessa, Em, don't worry. I'm a big girl. Vandy's got nothing on me."

For reasons she couldn't explain to herself, she did not back out of the date. She had plenty of opportunity to, she just didn't want to. Part of her, admitted or not, wanted to make Vandy pay for what she must've done to the girls. These girls were a fairly innocent bunch, who had taken her under wing, and she would help them as soon as she could.

Instead of worrying about midterms, she buried herself deeply in the job, crossing twenty more names off her list. She located a Quibbler that had been cut out, and sent a message to Jeff informing him of it. Normally this would be a great break through, but she had found it in an abandoned classroom. No luck there. She found which school owls had left near the time she'd found it, but the number was simply too big. Kids were sending out letters to friends over holidays, or to their parents. She could only hope that the threat, whatever it may be, never found the Minister.

Midterms were extremely easy. Having known all of this for many years, what was there to worry about? She sped through the essays, and finished the Draught of Peace in record time. It was annoying ot sit in the classroom for the next hour while students worked at whatever they were doing.

Christmas morning was a wonderful affair. All of the girls in her dormitory, even Vandy, had chosen to stay at Hogwarts over the winter break. Chris woke up to a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. From her defender-brothers, two sleek new knives, made of pure silver, the hilt wrapped in dark leather. They would deflect most curses and hid pretty well in her boots. Attached was a note.

Chris,

Merry Christmas. See you soon.

Timothy

She also received a small bouquet of enamor-tulips from James, along with a card telling her that he would meet her at six 'o clock and thanking her for going with him. The other girls in the dorm had pitched in and gotten her a massive box of chocolate. She dressed in all of her warmest clothes and headed outside before anyone else was awake. She had a brilliant plan, conjured from who knows where. She stood on the front lawn, just beyond the steps. Holding her wand like a quill, she carefully spelled out letters into the snow. Gathering up a few snowballs, she began sending them up to James' window. When the window was thrown open, she crept under the shade of a willow.

James was roused from his sleep by Teddy shaking him awake. "Dude, you gotta see this!"

He stumbled out of bed, rubbing his eyes. "See what?" he looked out the window everyone was gathered around. Spelled out in massive words across the front of the school were the words. "Merry Christmas James" As soon as he read it, something swirled over it, wiping it clean. "See you at breakfast." Nothing else appeared, so he dressed and headed down. Just outside the Great Hall was Chris, chewing on a piece of snow, and holding some muffins and hot chocolate. He sat down next to her, taking a muffin to eat. He watched as she carefully dipped her muffin in the cocoa, eating it. "Why are you doing that?" she smiled. "It's an old family tradition, around Christmas time. I liked hot coco, but I hated the muffins my dad made. My dad made me eat it this way so that I would still eat the little bricks. Eventually I liked it as much as he did." They sat in silence for awhile longer, until Chris broke the silence. "You should know. I'll be leaving tomorrow, for the rest of Christmas break."

"Why?"

"I was invited to spend the rest of it with some friends of mine. I'll be back soon enough, but I didn't want to leave without saying good bye, and I'll probably end up leaving late tonight."

They chatted for awhile, until all of their friends came down, bundled up in coats and scarves. "Come on! It's time for a snowball fight!"


	8. Snow and Lilac

Everyone trooped outside into the brisk air. "Ladies, pick your fort." The girls looked to Chris. "That stand of trees. We'll take it." The boys chose a small hill about thirty feet off.

"The rules are this: No magic of any kind, one hour to prepare. Go!"

They raced off in separate directions, laughing into the cold wind. Chris took charge to the girl's team. "Take the fallen branches, layer them in back. They make it impossible for anyone to sneak up without notice. And hand me some of those drier ones, from the middle of the stand." With a small fire inside, they created what appeared to be a quarter of a ball, hollow, and 5 feet across, with a low wall across the front. The fire was so small that it didn't melt the ice, but warmed them plenty. All they had to do now was make several hundred snowballs. Green sparks shot off into the sky. Chris pulled out her wand, sending out identical sparks. With an yell several snowballs hit the wall, impacting several dents in the wall. Peeking around the corner, Emily saw that rocks were concealed in the snow. "Don't get hit. Those suckers will knock you out."

Grabbing several snowballs each, they threw them out, trying to see where they had gone. Nothing came for awhile, and looking around the wall, Emily said she couldn't see anything. "It's like they disappeared." Asking Jenny and Victoria to check around back that they weren't about to be flanked, she sunk into herself, reaching into her instincts, listening. The faintest crush of snow reached her ears, and without thinking, she launched herself over the side of the wall, throwing six snowballs, almost all at the same time. Flipping back over, she looked over the wall to see what happened. Some twenty feet away, a third year named Samuel was flat on his back, covered in snowballs. "How did you know he was coming?" Chris shrugged. "I heard him." Listening again, she heard a scraping, raw sound. Opening her eyes again, she swore under her breath. "They've made foxholes." The girls looked rather confused. "They've made holes, couple feet deep in the earth. It's almost impossible to flush 'em out." A new idea formed and she reached for her wand. "Hold this until I get back." She handed it to Jenny. Chris crept around the wall and started across the bumpy ground.

Little dunes of snow had popped up everywhere overnight, giving her cover from being sighted. The girls pitched a few out, to keep them guessing. Almost around the last bend, she scrambled backwards as Mitchell's head popped out a hole in the ground. Leaning against a dune to catch her breath, she felt the snow sliding beneath her. Turning so that she was facing it, she gave a push, and laughed as the snow buried them in the hole. Boys came out spluttering, shaking snow from their eyes. "Butterbeer's on the boys tonight?" Laughing and shaking snow out of eyes and ears, the happy group trooped up to the school. James disappeared for a while and brought back some bottles of butterbeer. Everyone chugged them gratefully, chattering and joking. After the conversation had died down, the girls headed upstairs to get ready. The common room emptied as people went to shower or find missing dress robes. Around six, the room began to fill with boys attempting to straighten their hair properly, and girls giggling in groups.

Upstairs, a merry group of girls were curling, powdering and laughing themselves silly. The lavender and jasmine scent of Lovegood Hair Care Products filled the air. Everyone except Chris was getting ready. She sat on the bed, fiddling with the corner of her iron straight pillow. "Aren't you going to get dressed up?" someone asked her. She shrugged. "I'll put on my dress, brush my hair, and go downstairs. What else is there?" The room fell silent at this declaration. "Oh, heck no." Jenny declared emphatically. "Sweetheart you're going out with James. You are not going in just _whatever_. It's YULE BALL!" Emily pulled her to her feet. "You have make-up, I've seen it in your suitcase. Pull it out; I can help you with it. Where are your shoes?" She produced a pair of mission boots, dull black and knee-high laced. "You can have my other shoes." Miranda offered. 20 minutes later, her hair was brushed into shining waves around her shoulders. The dress that Chris had found to wear was one of her mother's old things. A dark red backless dress, and strappy black heels that she couldn't help thinking would be a great weapon. Emily had produced a bottle of spray-on sparkles that they dusted her with, and just as everyone was checking everything one last time before heading downstairs, Vandy swept through. She was wearing silver, the bright, overly shiny kind, that made her resemble a Muggle disco ball. Her hair was done up tightly, and she smiled evilly. "Well girls, you all look simply cute. Especially you Emily." She flounced out and the girls turned to Emily.

Several weeks beforehand, a large package had arrived at the Gryffindor table, landing in front of Emily. She had opened it to find a dress resembling a nun's habit. She had insisted that it was her Yule Ball dress, her grandmother had sent it, and that she was fine wearing it. Emily had remained adamant, despite many offers from friends to dress it up a bit. Emily had one of the few uniforms at school that adhered to every rule of modesty that was laid down.  
But now Emily was wondering if she should have rethought that through. Every girl looked like they wanted to run out there and shred Vandy to pieces. When Chris started popping her knuckles, one by one, Emily jumped. "Its fine, I don't care. Really, you shouldn't-" Chris turned to her and Emily saw the horrible anger that burned there, the anger that said she wanted to hex Vandy and hang her from the Astronomy Tower. "I'm going to stay here a minute. Meet you downstairs." was the tight reply she spat out. The others filed out quietly, leaving Chris and Emily alone. Chris sat on the floor, staring up at Emily's dress. Emily clasped her hands and waited quietly. Chris' suitcase flew open, her sewing kit flying toward her. Scissors, needles, and several different threads floated out and swung lazily around the room. The scissors flew toward her and Emily jumped, expecting to get her leg sliced off. But the scissors began snipping at the bottom of her dress, cutting off the area that was pooled around her feet. Ten needles were threaded and began hemming at lightning speed. On it went, around the dress tightening up seams and making it a tighter fit, showing off the figure hiding beneath the layers. Emily turned to the mirror five minutes later as the last thread knotted itself. The dress was a beautiful cut, but still the same drab black as before. "You might want to close your eyes. I don't want to scare you" Emily shut them for a moment, but they flew open again when she felt dozens of cold spots hitting her body. Needles were now threaded with a shiny red thread, while others raced up the dress, lacing black sparkly threads among the normal. She shut her eyes, knowing that having so many sharp things near her would scare her. A few minutes later, at Chris' word, she looked again, this time at a bright dress, with a lacy red flower pattern covering the bodice. "It's an old dressmaker's technique, using specific patterns to make it look like your showing off more then you really are."  
"How do you know all these things?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know weather days in advance, and you can sew magically, and swim in ice cold water. You can talk to boys without stuttering. You're amazing!"

Chris laughed gently, pulling Emily to the door. "Anyone can do those things. It's all about discipline." She grew quiet as they headed down the hall. Her mother had taught her those tricks.

She had told her, "I want you to wait for the right person before doing anything, but know that sometimes, for the sake of the mission, you'll have to use seductive reasoning instead of fighters reasoning. Most men will always like to believe that they're every woman's dream, and that they've got you wound around their finger. Get them to start drinking, or even to brag a little and you can find out more information in thirty minutes than weeks spent in surveillance. Sometimes the only way to protect the Minister is to be one of the crowds at social functions, blending in with the rich and famous."

Christ didn't know quite what to expect from tonight, but willed herself to believe in anything. She had seen dates before, and faked a few for covers, but never been on one.


	9. Yule Night

James had gotten dressed, attempted to comb his hair, and gave up on it. Besides, it was Chris. She wouldn't care how his hair looked. He was sitting on his bed reading _Quidditch through the Ages_ when Mitchell and Teddy burst in the room. "What are you doing mate? Have you lost your bloody mind?" He looked up, raising an eyebrow at their panicked expressions. "What's wrong?" he asked lazily. "DUDE!" Teddy bellowed. "It's time to go and Chris is going to kill you!" James slid off his bed, lacing up his shoes. "Guys, its Chris. Is it really going to matter that much if I don't comb my hair?" Mitchell nodded his head vigorously.

"Remember? Those girls from Beauxbatons are here; Chris just told them she has a date with someone and he's not _there_!" Mitchell dragged him out the door, while Teddy ran a comb through his hair, forcing it to lie flat. "Retium." He snapped, waving his wand. James' hair automatically adjusted to a proper style and Mitchell stowed his wand back in his pocket just as they burst into the room.

It was full of girls and boys gathering up last minute things and saying hello to their dates. But a large berth had been cleared around 5 blond girls in identical white satin dresses, who were talking to a dark girl in a dark red dress. She looked up and James froze, rooted where he stood. Holy. Hell. James hadn't even recognized his friend through the clothes and make-up and hair. Not that any of it was wrong. She looked absolutely smashing.

Chris' eyes were wide with gratitude and relief as Teddy and Mitchell pushed James over to her. He landed next to her as she laid a hand on his shoulder, pulling him closer to her. "Janice, this is my date, James. James, this is Janice."Chris gestured the girl in the center, who stood 6" 2' and wore a haughty look. She added in an undertone, "She's part veela." James nodded, understanding the obvious implication. Janice took his hand, shaking it lightly. "Hey good looking," she said in a breathy voice. "Don't know how Miss Macho here landed you, but what say you and me meet up tonight?" James smiled politely, pulling his hand out of her grip, and wrapping his other arm around Chris. "No thanks, I have a date tonight." They walked away, Chris hugging James as they went. "Thank you so much for the back-up. I really don't like those girls." He hugged her back, smiling as they headed out the portrait hole. "It's no problem. I'm actually immune to veelas."

"Really? How?"

"My aunt's part veela. I've been around her my whole life. I haven't felt dizzy or even woozy around veelas since I was ten."

Couples milled around the halls, everyone eventually being herded into the Great Hall, where gigantic Christmas trees were decorated and fake snow fell from an enchanted sky. After a few opening speeches, the traditional tables appeared and everyone sat down to the meal. James and Chris found a table in the back of the room, all but hidden behind a giant Christmas tree. A quick Mufflito charm later and they were having a lively, uninterrupted meal. Teddy, who was sitting nearby, noticed the faint buzzing sound and laughed to himself.

He knew that Chris was in an awkward situation here, with old enemies, and could see how out of place she felt. She may look poised and put together, but slight emotions flitted across her face, of nervousness and wariness. James must've picked up on that and was trying to make it obvious that Chris was liked here.

Quite a bit of the menu was in foreign languages, and James was having trouble pronouncing it. With a brief smiled, Chris looked at the menu, and announced over his plate, with a flawless accent, exactly what he wanted. She went back to her soup as he stared at her. "You know... whatever that was?" She nodded. "It was Estonian. Known it forever."

The Hall filled with a buzz of conversation as people finished eating. Faint music eventually grew louder, until the adults took to the floor, followed slower by the students. The tables and chairs rearranged themselves, the chairs lining up along three walls, the tables combining along the last wall and filling with butterbeer for the students. There was some wine at the end for the adults, but it slid away when students tried to pick it up. James and Chris whirled over the dance floor, gracefully and easy. Both had been working out for years, James for Quidditch, Chris for her job. It was easy to go for a long time. It was easy to believe they were no more then two happy teenagers, full of life. But there was a shell around Chris, that made her untouchable, too hard to break.

Around 9, both gave out for lack of breath. Chris asked James to get her a butterbeer and headed over to the girls. They had clustered some chairs around Jenny's seat, where she was trying very hard not to cry.

To her ecstasy, Jenny had been asked to Yule Ball by the dashing Steven Aurelius, Hufflepuff's Quidditch captain. She had been getting ready for the night for weeks now. But after one dance with Jenny, he had told he would be right back, and had turned up 15 minutes later, holding hands with Vandy and even kissing her.

Chris sat down on the ground next to Jenny's chair, pulling her wand out of nowhere. Spinning it between her fingers, she watched Steven kiss Vandy's fingertips before sweeping her out onto the dance floor. A grin crept over her face as she began to murmur enchantments, faint sparks touching off the edge of her wand.

Jenny looked down at her as Chris said a final word and a huge cloud of smoke exploded exactly where Vandy and Steven stood.

As the smoke cleared, quiet titters and laughter filled the room as people saw them. Steven was sporting a massive squirrel tail, and a fine pair of high quality antlers was coming out just behind Vandy's ears. They turned around, desperate to see what everyone was laughing about, saw each other and ran out of the room screaming. Chris stood back up, stowing her wand away, as James came up, holding a butterbeer for her.

"Hey, you wanna go outside? It's kinda warm in here."

They wandered out a side door, into a large walled garden, where teachers patrolled around the edges, to make sure that nothing inappropriate happened. Chris sipped her beer and surveyed the wall. With a flying leap, she leaped up a tree and landed neatly on the wall. James choked on his beer when she landed, neatly tucking her skirt in around her.

"Are you coming?" she called.

"That wall's gotta be eight feet tall. I can't jump that high." She let her beer go, and it levitated beside her as she leaned down, hand outstretched. "I'll help you."

His beer shot out of his hand to hover next to hers as he took a few steps back. His jump almost fell short, but she managed to catch and swing him up with her. For a second or two, it almost seemed that she would drop him and tumble down the wall herself, but to his surprise she caught him easily and threw him up next to her, all without a strain. She handed him his beer back as she drank more of hers.

They chatted quietly for a while longer, pointedly ignoring the many couples now making out around the garden. Chris started spinning her beer bottle between her hands, so fast it was a blur.

"What are you doing?" She glanced down at her hands, almost surprised at them. "I dunno. It's almost second nature." Without putting particular thought behind it, she had heated her hands until the bottle began to melt to form a ninja star.

A glare from a teacher told them they'd better get off the wall. James jumped first, landed hard, his knees buckling beneath him. Chris slid off the wall easily, landing square. "So does that really work?" he pointed to the star as they walked back into the great hall. She stopped for a second, sighting on a mistletoe on the far side of the room. She threw it into a flying arc and as James watched it sliced the mistletoe from the pin that held it in place. Chris caught it as it came back, the mistletoe stuck to it. She handed the sprig to him as she slid the star into her belt. "Want to dance?" They swept back out on the floor, and spent the remainder of the evening with their friends, until around 11 at night, when James and Chris finally found another moment alone, he spotted a secret tunnel he had found last year. It was neatly hidden behind a large tree, so he pulled her behind it. "Watch this." he said. Adjusting an owl on the wall, a hatch slid back to reveal a tunnel. "Go ahead, it's a two foot drop." she climbed in quickly and James came right after her. "Watch your clothes, its kinda damp." he warned her as the door slid shut, sealing them in darkness.

"_Lumos_." he whispered as his wand flared with light. He started to walk down the path, but Chris stopped him. "Allow me." she gestured for him to step back. She settled into her stance, the slit on her dress allowing for movement. She punched forward and said something and at her word, 20 flame balls exploded from her fists, rocketing down the tunnel. They shot into rusted sconces along the wall, offering clear lighting all the way.

Standing still for a moment, the fabric around her twitched and literally readjusted it on her in less than a second. Now it was a velvet cape that swung around her shoulders, falling easily to hide her mission clothes. "Shall we?" she asked, taking his arm. James, still awed by the amazing show of power he had just witnessed, stowed his wand into his pocket and walked along with her. "How- how did you do that?" he asked. "Just a few household tricks my mom taught me." she said offhandedly. "Where are we going?" she asked, smoothly diverted the conversation. "Hogsmeade. It looks beautiful during the holiday season. Plus it's really peaceful without all the students milling around."

After coming out a hole on the alley off the Three Broomsticks, they wandered around the small town. The stars were shining and the few people out that night didn't notice the two teenagers. Chris laughed when James accidentally set off a firework in Zonko's and James chuckled as she blushed, when they found themselves under mistletoe outside the tea shop. She lit it on fire and ducked her head when the ashes joined the falling snow around them.

They headed into the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer, sitting at the bar while some crazy lady tried playing a broken violin in the corner. Madame Rosemerta served them with a wink, telling them to watch the firewhiskey. They passed another hour like that, until some of the more raucous crowd came in from the cold. One of them thought it would be a good idea to start talking to Chris. James sat on the edge of his seat, unsure what to do. The man hadn't done anything wrong, but Chris was trying to edge away from him. "Hey gorgeous, wanna dance?" the man asked through a drunk slur. He grabbed her shoulder, but in the time it took for James to pull his wand, Chris had grabbed the man's hand, twisted it behind his back and pushed him a good five feet away. "Don't touch me." She warned in a low undertone. Taking it as a time to leave, James kept his wand in his hand while pulling out a few sickles for the drinks. Chris slapped a few extra on the table to make up for the tables knocked over and they quickly left. It was one in the morning by the time they had made it back to the school.

He had told her goodnight at the porthole, and had turned to walk back to his room. He was almost to the door when she grabbed his hand. "I'm not sure if I'm doing this right." she whispered, before gently kissing his cheek and darting upstairs.

Chris was gone early the next morning. She flew out the gate, heading straight to London. She reached headquarters at noon, dropping off her day bag and apparting to just outside London walking the few miles to Mungo's. Walking was good. She looked at each face passing by her. This wasn't the nicest side of town and some of the rougher crowd was watching her, waiting to see her move. She stopped at a street corner and dropped her knives into her hands. The weight felt comforting in her hands, and warded off the worst of them. Confidence, her father had always said.

"When you're in unfamilar territory, walk with confidence. Your posture can be a deciding factor in whether a gang tries to mug you or leave a local be." She kept up a consistent pace, right through the window. She slid her knives back into their sheaths as she went to the front. Peter was on a downstairs level. She already knew what room. She dodged a few nurses, but no one tried to stop her. When they think you know where you're going, they won't bother you. She knocked on the door once and entered, walking straight into Tim and Jeffs' open arms.


	10. Back Among Friends

She gave both brief hugs and turned to Peter. He looked peaceful, even normal. The only thing that seemed slightly amiss was the way he gripped a handful of sheets and the tightness around his face. Peter has always been a very mellow person, even in dangerous situations. She sat down next to him, prying the hand off the sheets and gripping it. "What's the most recent update?" she asked. Tim slid a clipboard out from underneath the mattress.

"Feeding him sustaining potions twice a day and an antidote to ward off any poisons or diseases from the wildebeest. We check everything that the nurses give him. We never leave him alone and we take shifts all night. The Minister has had no threat mail and no attacks at the safehouse, but his office has received them periodically."

She looked up at them, noting the bags under their eyes. "Go home to base, get some rest. I'll take a couple hours." Both left, leaving her with Peter. She gently moved him over to one side of the hospital bed and climbed onto the other side. She laid there for what felt like hours, listening to the silence and telling Peter everything that had happened.

This was not awkward. They had been as close as they could have been without being in love. After they had lost everyone else, they started having nightmares. And always, one went to the other. It was okay to be small and feel insignificant when you're alone, because when you wake up in the morning you have to be tough and rough. Nothing happened, and nothing every would. Her mother had always warned her that she would have unnatural reactions to some things, and these must be ignored if harmful. Not that they hadn't run it pretty close a few times.

One of the foremost rules of the Defenders was that you never married or slept with another Defender. It kept the genes clear. If they started interbreeding, they would gradually get smaller until there weren't enough of them. The punishment was being forced to leave the Defender clan and have your memory wiped, with false ones implanted that kept you somewhere in the Wizarding world.

It was almost midnight before she chose to leave. Jeff came to relieve her and she headed back home.

The base was home. Really, it was a fairly large property on the coast. The house was large, but very plain. No one but the Defenders had lived there for hundreds of years. The grounds were large and wild, kept only for training on. Other than that, the creatures and plant life were allowed to run amok outside the house. The families had their own private houses away from base, but with time and the troubles, they'd been left behind and everyone moved to base. And now there were 5 teenagers, and two house elves in the great mansion. She Apparted to the edge of the property and walked in, enjoying the dark night to think all of her thoughts.

The grounds had so many memories. Under those trees, the 16 Defenders she'd grown up with had learned martial arts from one person or another. Her favorite running path that wound along the top of the cliffs. The cemetery, where every Defender was buried. Her parents where back there, along with all 5 of her brothers and her 2 sisters. She would visit them in the morning.

She unlocked the door, stepping inside the warm hall. Its smooth tiles let no noise off as she headed to the stairs. A house-elf came out of a side door.

"Mistress Christina! You have come back?"She paused at the foot of the stairs. "Yes. Please serve breakfast at 0630 tomorrow. Have a good night Molly."

The house-elf's voice was timid. "Mistress? How fares the Master?"She stopped, this time at the top of the stairs. "He is a little better. He is alive."

Molly's voice quavered. "I am glad."

"Good night Molly."

She sat down on her bed, pulling out her scrapbook. It contained wizard photos of her family who beamed up at her from the worn pages. But one of her favorites was tucked into the front flap. Just a muggle photo, of the last good day there'd ever been…


	11. Last Days

_She'd come out her bed screaming, so charged with fear and terror that her door slammed open and her windows shattered from the amount of magic that just came out of her. She heard feet running and Peter and Jenny tore into the room, wands out and eyes alert. "What was it?" Jenny asked. Peter took in the sight of her sitting in bed, blanket knotted around her legs, and red hair tousled. "Nightmare." He walked to the edge of her bed. "Jenny, can you get her something to drink? Anything will work, but she needs to be calmed down." Jenny left and he reached out to her. _

"_Chris?" _

_She turned, eyes wide with fear. "Gone. All gone." _

_He sat down, peeling her hands off the blankets. "What happened?" Chris blinked away tears. "I saw them dying."_

"_Who?" He rubbed her hands between his own. _

"_All my family." _

_She moved to brush her hair back from her face, and he caught her hand as it came down. "You've hurt yourself again." A razor thin line of blood had welled up along the side of her hand. "I must've brushed against my knife." She gestured to the hilt that stuck out from underneath her pillow. He used the edge of his shirt to wipe the blood off and her hands curled away from brushing against his stomach. _

_He uncurled her stiff hands and held them. "I know they're gone." He met her eyes and stared into hers. "You know they're gone. Why do you have nightmares?" _

"_Fear." _

"_Of what?" She swallowed hard and whispered so low that he couldn't understand her, cleared her throat and spoke again._

"_Scared of losing others." The tip of her finger glided over his wrist and they stared down at their hands. _

"_You have nothing to fear. We are getting smarter about the people who are trying to kill us." _

_Jenny came back, accompanied by Peter's father, head of the Defenders. "Are you alright child?" She swung around and let her feet dangle to the floor. "Tired." He swept her into a tight bear-hug and then looked at her shadowed eyes. She quietly drank the cold water that Jenny had brought her, and waited for him to speak. "Christina, do you know how many younger Defenders there are now?" _

"_Six, sir."_

"_All of you have leave for tomorrow. Go to the beach. This is the third one of you six to have nightmares lately. Stress is making us careless." He left and they looked at each other."Do you want us to stay here?' Jenny asked. "No. I'll be okay." Jenny and Peter left and blew out the candles on the way out. But a few minutes later, her door creaked open and she could just make out a dark shadow sitting down in the chair next to the door. Peter settled down into the chair and she smiled in the darkness. "Thank you."_

_The day had been beautiful, and one that she kept close to her heart for a very long time. They spent most of the day in the sea, enjoying the complete lack of duty. They had bonfire and didn't come home until almost midnight. It was at the beach that Jenny had taken pictures of everyone. Chris' favorite was one that she had talked a passing Muggle into taking, of them running out of the ocean. _

_It had been the final moment of peace, because the next day, Jenny had died on the way to get her pictures developed. Shot twice with a Muggle gun in the back, and left to die in an alley. Jeff had found her when he came to pick her up. It had been a somber group that had gathered that next night. _


	12. Holiday Work

Several months later, she had successfully cleaned most black market trade out of Hogsmeade, but hadn't come much closer to the assassin. Whoever it was probably operated out of the Hog's Head. That's where all the double dealings happened. As exam's got closer, it became impossible to sneak out over the weekend, as teachers who noticed became overly suspicious. She hunkered down in the library with the others, pretending to read books on Charms, but was really reviewing over the rest of the people she still thought might be it.

Vandy continued to shoot her murderous looks over getting James for the Yule Ball. It took her two weeks to get the antlers off her head and her hair still had stiff woody ends. Nobody could say for sure, but rumor was Steven had to shave off a stump of a tail every night before going to sleep. Chris talked less to James, but then again, everybody was stressing over O.W.L's.

Halfway through her final test, the written History test, her bag started vibrating. She looked around and saw Professor Finnigan giving her the eye. Praying that no one was watching, she planted one foot right in the middle of her bag, hoping to not break the mirror. She felt the thrum of magic shoot up her spine and for a second heard Tim's voice. "Chris! He's a-" before the connection cut.

At the end O.W.L.s, after everyone had emptied out of the library, Chris dared to pull out her mirror. In hasty ink that smeared across the surface, Jeff had written, "Pete's awake."

She tapped it twice with her wand and the ink disappeared. Tim's etching came over.

"Screw oaths. You know it's me. How's Peter?"

"Ask him yourself." Tim smiled at her impatience. Tim disappeared and Peter came up, smiling tiredly. "Chris, what's up?"

"I'm okay. This Hogwarts thing has been a dud. I've done everything I can."

"It's not a problem. The man who bought the poison? New barkeep down in Hogsmeade, at the Hog's Head. Jeff and Tim are meeting Marvin there to arrest him. I've been restricted to my bed."

She smiled, tears rolling down her face. Peter was okay. And if he was good, everything would be great. "Chris? Are you okay?"

She nodded vigorously, wiping her tears off hastily. "I'm gonna go pack." He smiled, knowing that she meant so much more then she could say.

Leaving her things piled onto the bed, she ran down the hallways, doing somersaults and handstands. She was going home. She would get to see them again. Home.

With a whoop of joy, she leaped on top of a suit of armor, scrambling up to an archway. It was a shadowed one, and she had stayed here a few times when the noise inside the common room was a distraction. She leaned against the wall, feeling the cool stones. It was silent and she smiled in the darkness.

She sat up as steps came. Very quick steps. Vandy came around the corner, almost running. She stopped and darted behind a statue. Chris leaned forward from her perch. James was coming from the opposite direction in a lazy stroll. He had just come abreast with the statue when Vandy stepped into the light. "James?"

He spun around. "Oh, Vandy. What's up?" She moved closer

"I came to say goodbye. I have to leave." He frowned. "Why?"  
"My father's being arrested, down at Hogsmeade. I'll have to leave soon."

"I don't suppose there's anything I could do to help."

"There might be." Vandy moved closer to James, till she was less then a foot away. Despite herself, Chris leaned forward, interested in this information. Vandy was his daughter? Why didn't they see each other more? They didn't have the same last name, and looked nothing alike. Well her own father had been a blonde, so they didn't look that much alike. Vandy closed her eyes and slowly inhaled, as though she…Chris felt a chill run down her back. As though she was scenting him. Chris had seen creatures, magical and normal do it back home. Why would a human…need to scent out another human?

This is the part when things began to happen very quickly. Vandy threw a phenomenal uppercut that lifted James' feet off the floor. She caught him as he fell down, gripping him as he passed out. Chris began moving, dropping quietly from one arch to another.

Vandy inhaled again, and to Chris' horror, she saw that Vandy's teeth were now an inch long, was she stroked his face.

"Hosh shill I lish witshout choo?" she said, speech slurring through her teeth. The front of her face was now very furry and her tongue was several inches long and forked. Chris landed behind her as Vandy (or whatever she was) flicked her tongue and set her teeth over James' throat.

"_Stupefy_!"

Vandy was knocked back several feet, and an unspoken summoning charm brought James' to Chris. She directed his body to behind a large potted plant and turned to face her.

"You helped didn't you?"

A voice, sounding like chalk on metal came from what was a quickly transforming creature. "YES."

Chris' eyes went wide and she watched the transformation. Vandy's black hair was now a thick and spreading yellow mane, and Vandy's shoes were shredding apart as two huge and scaly legs were growing. It was especially creepy that she was still wearing her school uniform, and getting several feet taller and bigger. "I AM A CHIMERA, AND MORE POWERFUL THEN YOU."

"Vandy, please. If you don't fight me, you can get help-." Her words were cut short by a roar.

"GIVE ME MY MATE!" The creature bellowed as the six foot long tail, dripping poison sprang out.

Chris watched, frozen to the ground as the Chimera shook off the remnant of the long since shredded clothes. 6 feet long from nose to rump, it had the head and shoulders of a lion. Just behind her armpits, the lion fur became dragon scale, ending in massive back legs that splayed out on the floor and above this nightmare was a curved scorpion tail, dripping acid green poison that hissed and left burns on the floor. Chris threw up a shield wall and then closed her eyes for a moment. A bright spray of silver shot out one ear and zoomed out the window. It was a memory, one that would deliver itself to one of her brothers. A flick of her wand directed James, who was still unconscious, up into the arches above her, sticking his body to the wall. She dropped her wand and it vanished. It and everything that belonged to her up in the common room had just vanished into base.

She turned around, facing the Chimera that paced against the invisible wall.


	13. Discovery

Several months later, she had successfully cleaned most black market trade out of Hogsmeade, but hadn't come much closer to the assassin. Whoever it was probably operated out of the Hog's Head. That's where all the double dealings happened. As exam's got closer, it became impossible to sneak out over the weekend, as teachers who noticed became overly suspicious. She hunkered down in the library with the others, pretending to read books on Charms, but was really reviewing over the rest of the people she still thought might be it.

Vandy continued to shoot her murderous looks over getting James for the Yule Ball. It took her two weeks to get the antlers off her head and her hair still had stiff woody ends. Nobody could say for sure, but rumor was Steven had to shave off a stump of a tail every night before going to sleep. Chris talked less to James, but then again, everybody was stressing over O.W.L's.

Halfway through her final test, the written History test, her bag started vibrating. She looked around and saw Professor Finnigan giving her the eye. Praying that no one was watching, she planted one foot right in the middle of her bag, hoping to not break the mirror. She felt the thrum of magic shoot up her spine and for a second heard Tim's voice. "Chris! He's a-" before the connection cut.

At the end O.W.L.s, after everyone had emptied out of the library, Chris dared to pull out her mirror. In hasty ink that smeared across the surface, Jeff had written, "Pete's awake."

She tapped it twice with her wand and the ink disappeared. Tim's etching came over.

"Screw oaths. You know it's me. How's Peter?"

"Ask him yourself." Tim smiled at her impatience. Tim disappeared and Peter came up, smiling tiredly. "Chris, what's up?"

"I'm okay. This Hogwarts thing has been a dud. I've done everything I can."

"It's not a problem. The man who bought the poison? New barkeep down in Hogsmeade, at the Hog's Head. Jeff and Tim are meeting Marvin there to arrest him. I've been restricted to my bed."

She smiled, tears rolling down her face. Peter was okay. And if he was good, everything would be great. "Chris? Are you okay?"

She nodded vigorously, wiping her tears off hastily. "I'm gonna go pack." He smiled, knowing that she meant so much more then she could say.

Leaving her things piled onto the bed, she ran down the hallways, doing somersaults and handstands. She was going home. She would get to see them again. Home.

With a whoop of joy, she leaped on top of a suit of armor, scrambling up to an archway. It was a shadowed one, and she had stayed here a few times when the noise inside the common room was a distraction. She leaned against the wall, feeling the cool stones. It was silent and she smiled in the darkness.

She sat up as steps came. Very quick steps. Vandy came around the corner, almost running. She stopped and darted behind a statue. Chris leaned forward from her perch. James was coming from the opposite direction in a lazy stroll. He had just come abreast with the statue when Vandy stepped into the light. "James?"

He spun around. "Oh, Vandy. What's up?" She moved closer

"I came to say goodbye. I have to leave." He frowned. "Why?"  
"My father's being arrested, down at Hogsmeade. I'll have to leave soon."

"I don't suppose there's anything I could do to help."

"There might be." Vandy moved closer to James, till she was less then a foot away. Despite herself, Chris leaned forward, interested in this information. Vandy was his daughter? Why didn't they see each other more? They didn't have the same last name, and looked nothing alike. Well her own father had been a blonde, so they didn't look that much alike. Vandy closed her eyes and slowly inhaled, as though she…Chris felt a chill run down her back. As though she was scenting him. Chris had seen creatures, magical and normal do it back home. Why would a human…need to scent out another human?

This is the part when things began to happen very quickly. Vandy threw a phenomenal uppercut that lifted James' feet off the floor. She caught him as he fell down, gripping him as he passed out. Chris began moving, dropping quietly from one arch to another.

Vandy inhaled again, and to Chris' horror, she saw that Vandy's teeth were now an inch long, was she stroked his face.

"Hosh shill I lish witshout choo?" she said, speech slurring through her teeth. The front of her face was now very furry and her tongue was several inches long and forked. Chris landed behind her as Vandy (or whatever she was) flicked her tongue and set her teeth over James' throat.

"_Stupefy_!"

Vandy was knocked back several feet, and an unspoken summoning charm brought James' to Chris. She directed his body to behind a large potted plant and turned to face her.

"You helped didn't you?"

A voice, sounding like chalk on metal came from what was a quickly transforming creature. "YES."

Chris' eyes went wide and she watched the transformation. Vandy's black hair was now a thick and spreading yellow mane, and Vandy's shoes were shredding apart as two huge and scaly legs were growing. It was especially creepy that she was still wearing her school uniform, and getting several feet taller and bigger. "I AM A CHIMERA, AND MORE POWERFUL THEN YOU."

"Vandy, please. If you don't fight me, you can get help-." Her words were cut short by a roar.

"GIVE ME MY MATE!" The creature bellowed as the six foot long tail, dripping poison sprang out.

Chris watched, frozen to the ground as the Chimera shook off the remnant of the long since shredded clothes. 6 feet long from nose to rump, it had the head and shoulders of a lion. Just behind her armpits, the lion fur became dragon scale, ending in massive back legs that splayed out on the floor and above this nightmare was a curved scorpion tail, dripping acid green poison that hissed and left burns on the floor. Chris threw up a shield wall and then closed her eyes for a moment. A bright spray of silver shot out one ear and zoomed out the window. It was a memory, one that would deliver itself to one of her brothers. A flick of her wand directed James, who was still unconscious, up into the arches above her, sticking his body to the wall. She dropped her wand and it vanished. It and everything that belonged to her up in the common room had just vanished into base.

She turned around, facing the Chimera that paced against the invisible wall.


	14. The Fight

She dropped the Shield wall as Chimera leaped at it, falling through the wall. The momentum was strong enough that she sailed clear over Chris' head, who had to duck to avoid the tail, and landed feet splayed behind her. Turning around to face the monster, she dropped to the floor in time to avoid the funnel of flame. "He is not your mate!" she shouted over the roar of flames.

Her clothes were on fire and she brushed them off her hand. She was left with her black pants and shirt, and her shoes. She glanced down at her boots and the knives the boys gave her shot out the tops, settling into her hands.

With a wild yell, she ran at the Chimera, sending silent curses, one after another. Only one or two actually hit the monster, as it dodged most them. The places where they hit the wall burned black on the stone. It tottered for a second, but planted its feet, coming at a dead run. Chris sent several jets of water down her throat, and the fire that was coming out extinguished.

That should keep it from belching more fire. She turned her attention to the scorpion tail. To just hack off the tail was near impossible, and if she did, she wasn't sure what the blood might do. Making a mental note to check that when she wasn't about to get cooked, she fired a Stunner at it. It hit in the chest mid-jump and the chimera dropped like a rock, coming back and spraying a blast of fire at Chris. She threw up a shield charm and more water. Apparently the younger they came, the more fire. Hastily redirecting the water to protect James, she leaped up to the suits of armor. The blast of fire followed her and she almost slipped off the quickly melting tin. She lunged and barely snatched the candelabra in the wall. The delicate hooks almost ripped out of a wall and the liquid wax spilled out, streaking through her hair and spilling down her back. She stifled a scream, slipping onto a window ledge. The fire stopped, and as it cleared, Chris could see why. She was only a few feet away from James, who was still thankfully conscious.

She launched another jet of water and it met the next blast of fire midair.

Steam exploded on contact and a thick fog spread out, dissipating to the edges of the hall. Dropping to the floorto the floor in the temporary mist, Chris winced at the heat. The floor was so hot from the heat of the flames it was becoming malleable under her boots. She scrambled farther away from the Chimera, coming out at the other end of the hall. The powerful Chimera roared in anger. Its fire had become too hot, and it couldn't walk across the floor now either, and the fire she was attempting to hit Chris with wasn't going far enough to hit her, instead sending the liquid slag to Chris' end of the corridor. "Would you quit that?" Chris bellowed. "Neither of us can cross the floor now and James could burn to death up there!" The chimera stopped and settled for pacing. "He's alright for now. But I'm going to start cooling the floor to take some of the heat off. Okay?"

At a rather obvious nod, Chris began spraying the floor with ice, cooling the stone. "Why do you love him so?" She asked.

The chimera looked up from it's pacing. "His smell."

Chris blinked a few times, smoothing the stone with a spell. "Beg pardon? His…smell."

The chimera snorted in a way that could almost be taken for dismissive. "Yes. A chimera knows it's mate by the smell. It's addictive."

"But, he's human."

"I was so as well, even if for a short time." Seeing Chris' confusion, she elaborated.

"A chimera will only take one mate in their life, there is no other."

"How would that work?" Chris asked.

"By certain enchantments, he can become a chimera. Mostly."

"So that's the answer? Making him something he's not?"

"He would learn. I love him!"

Both fell silent. "Do you love him?" the chimera asked.

"No. I'm 15. I don't fall in love at fifteen."

Looking down at the floor, she saw the floor had cooled to a slick surface, except right by the chimera's feet. There it had flowed into waves like forms. Chris carefully ran the tip of her boot over it, feeling with an odd sense of surety, that this may be one of the last breaths she ever took.

Flexing her legs a final time, she took off at a dead run, straight at the chimera. It roared and leaped forward to meet her attack. Boots pounded and claws flashed as they raced a hundred yards to the other.

Less than twenty feet from the chimera, she dropped, now sliding down the slick floor. There was a faintest grade that hadn't been there before, but she was gaining speed from it quickly. The large chimera gave a strangled noise as both of Chris' knives slid up through her throat, and kept sliding, cutting her open from throat to ribs on a single stroke.

Letting go of the hilts, she kept sliding till she crashed into the rippled stone. She winced at the pain in her hip, but rolled over to her feet to see what was happening.

The chimera was coughing, falling over to the floor. Bits and pieces of her insides were coming out, along with lots of blood, blood so dark it was just a few shades shy of black. With a final roar, the creature died.

Chris struggled to her feet, adrenaline still rushing. She waved her hand, and the great beast began to burn, destroying any evidence that there had been a fight. The scorch marks disappeared, as did the blood that was running everywhere. The floor was beyond repair and it didn't look much different than the rest, just slippery.

She turned to the arch, leaping up the suits of armor to where James was. His eyes were wide open and he was staring at the ground, where the chimera disappeared in the final lick of flame. "What just happened?" He whispered, eyes wide with shock.

She scooped him up, lifting the Sticking Charm. "She was a chimera."


	15. Heading Home

She set him down on the floor, waving her hand over the gash on his head. He had ran into the archway on the way up. "I have to go." She said._ "Obliviate." _

He saw the hall start to blur and swim before his eyes. "In a few moments you will pass out. You will not remember anything you saw. You saw some other students running from here, and then an explosion. That was all." He tried to sit up once more as she climbed to a window high above him. "Will I remember…you?"

She stopped, staring down at him, pricks of tears starting in his eyes. "I hope not." She dived out the window, taking flight over the walls and forests, moving toward Hogsmeade, as James fell into a sleep that was all darkness, silent darkness…

Tears streamed into the wind from her speed and her regret. She should have known better then to believe that James would like her. She would leave and be gone from his life forever. He may see her, someday far down the road, if he ever got a job with a Ministry and happened to see her in a crowd. But Vandy back there. She had honest to goodness adored him. All Chris had to do was look at her face to know it. This funny light that she couldn't place came into her eyes and she seemed almost dreamy with a smile on her face. Chris couldn't dream of looking at someone like that. She waved the thoughts aside as she landed in the edges of Hogsmeade. Marvin was waiting for her. "He put up a fight. We had to kill him."

"Did you get my message?" She asked, lacing her boot.

"That he was chimera? Yeah, we got it just before we stormed the place. How'd you know?"

"His daughter, went to the school." He draped an arm over her shoulder to walk but she froze, biting back a scream as tears welled up in her eyes. Marvin cussed at himself, seeing the condition her shirt was in, covered in blood and dirt and mostly shredded, but covered in wax. "I'm sorry. Come on, I'll let the guys know you need to get home."

"No need." Peter stepped up, limping slightly, but otherwise fine. "Peter! You're out of Mungos!"

Peter smiled wryly. "I signed myself out."

Marvin reached forward to clasp his hand, guiding Chris to him. "She's hurt and needs to go back to base."

"I'll take her." He took Chris, holding her hands, hands that were raw and chapped from spell work. He turned, pulling her with him into dark space…


	16. The End

Chris stepped out of the nothing, leaning on Peter. The adrenaline rush that had previously kept her going had faded, and pain was setting in. Wax had congealed down her back and she was burned down all her limbs. Her hair was sticking out, singed around the edges. The clothing that wasn't soaked was burnt and flakes of it followed her trail. Every muscle hurt and begged her to stop. Peter unlocked the doors, and led her through. Molly and Ginger were asleep and he did not stop to wake them. It seemed forever till they reached the darkness of her room. "Here." He handed her a goblet of drink, and she drank it. He handed her two more and then left her standing alone in her room. Feeling slightly more awake, she pulled off the burnt and stained clothing. It wasn't so much a pulling it off as pulling apart the shreds. She toed off the boots and wrapped herself in a thick blanket. Peter came back in at her call and sat down next to her. She was shaking and realized with a start that she was crying. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her awkwardly. She leaned into his side and cried harder. "He…he has a girl…who loves him, and…I fought for him...and she loved him. He'll never know it. Never know." She rolled onto her bed, the blanket tangling around her legs. She closed her eyes and heard Peter moving around. After a moment, she felt the light touch of her sheet falling around her. She opened her eyes as he stepped back from the bed. "Don't go." She croaked. She kicked off the blanket and pulled the sheet around her. "Stay." He hesitated, but sat down next to her. She laid back down, leaning into the warmth of pillows. She pulled a hand out of the sheets and took his. He looked from it to her. "You know the rules." She smiled sleepily. "I do." She said sincerely. "I just can't feel alone."

He lay down on his side, and she felt his hand take hers. "Peter?"

"Yes?" She settled deeper into his side. "Love you, love Timothy, and Marvin…and Jeffery. Love you…so much." He waited till she was asleep. "Love you too."

He spent the night watching her, the scars that were visible on her neck, and the newest marks of wax were red on the top of her back where the sheet had slipped. Her hair fell in a thick mass, and the burned parts had quit smoking.

She was wonderful. Really. A lot of the Defenders, growing up had to deal with emotions for each other. Chris had once felt something for him, but it had faded to a brotherly love that they both preferred. It was safer, and she could depend on him forever. Besides, the Defenders rule for that was that the offending Defenders had their memories wiped and were sent to live as Muggles.

He dozed off to sleep early that morning, one arm covering her shoulders, nestling her a world where the waves were calm and the sun bright, where chimeras and hurt hearts were distant memories.

She had gone for a day in London, the next morning. Most of the pain had dissolved to just smarts across her back if she overextended her arms. She looked better with a hair trim and a shower behind her, not so hollow. She leaned against a doorway across from King's Cross Station, watching as wizards and witches came out, chattering excitedly and hugging friends goodbye. With a sinking heart, she saw James, surrounded by family and friends, leaving. The knot on his head had disappeared and he seemed to be caught up in the conversation around him. She watched him go, and realized, with a jolt, that she wouldn't be able to just forget him. She had become too attached, and would subsequently pay the price of it. This was going to be a long road ahead of her.

Turning on her heels, she began to walk down the road, turned and vanished into the air. There was work to be done, and she was the one to do it.


	17. Epilogue

It wasn't until some hours later, after a mass dinner at Grandma and Grandpas' house, and telling all the best stories from the past school year, that Mr. Potter noticed a change about his son. He had come in to say good night to his son. James was sitting on the edge of his bed, running his hands through his hair, making it stand up more than ever. Mr. Potter sat down next him. "Is everything alright?"

James looked up, worried. "Something happened yesterday. I was walking down the corridor and then the next thing I knew I was walking up with a knot in my head and the floor was slick."

"You slipped son. That's all."

"No dad. I'm almost sure I didn't slip. There was about two hours between the time I last remember it being and the time Teddy and Mitchell found me. And the floors are always rough at Hogwarts. Everyone was sliding across those, even the teachers who've been around forever don't remember the floor being like this. They think I did it."

"And?"

James looked up. "Dad! I can't remember anything for two hours. I know the story about Mom's possession. What if it's happening to me?"

Mr. Potter sighed, pulling his son into a one-armed hug. "Son, it takes an extremely powerful wizard to do something like that. And I can assure you, the only wizard with the power to do that is dead."

James smiled into his dad's shirt. "Thanks Dad. I just… I wish I could remember what happened. I know it was important. But I just can't."

Long after his father had left, James stared out into the night, thinking about the past year. It had been wonderful. As for Chris…well they'd sort of dropped off talking to each other as exams closed in, but he wanted to write her over the summer. He had wanted to make sure it was okay with her, but he couldn't find her on the train this morning. He'd write tomorrow, after breakfast.

Closing his eyes at last, he fell asleep, drifting back to Hogwarts, where a girl with an iron voice repeated over and over. "I LOVE HIM"


End file.
